Jewelry ring and method of producing same



Aug. 11, 1936- I E. BAGER- 1 2,050,253

JEWELRY RING AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME Filed April 24, 1935 lgg Patented Aug. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES JEWELRY RING AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME Ernest Bager, Chicago, 111., assignor to J. Milhening, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 24, 1935, Serial No. 17,905

6 Claims.

This invention relates to an article or" personal adornment and particularly a finger ring, although the invention might be embodied in rings otherwise used for personal adornment. The ob- ,5 ject is to produce a ring of noble metal or metals without the use of solder or other discoloring influences, with an annular band of ornamentation also free from solder, and with rigidity of structure and integrity of assembly that will render the ring equivalent to one having all its parts in ,tegral.

The invention proceeds upon the principle of stamping an annular blank from a plate of metal; finishing the surfaces of said blank according to taste and turning into the periphery thereof an external annular groove. having upstandingside Walls; providing a strip of metal of the same or another variety having a section which willadapt it to fit the said groove when conformed thereto,the.sidesof the ornamenting strip being preferably converged outwardly; chasing or otherwise ornamenting .the said strip according to taste; curving the ornamenting strip into a ring surrounding the body portion in the groove thereof; 2 pressing the upstanding side walls of they groove .01 the body portion toward each other and into firmpembrace with the converging sides of the ornamenting ring, thereby forcing the latter inward and againstflthe bottom of the groove; and 30 having the circumferential dimension of the ornamenting ring such that when it is pressed inwardly by the collapsing of the side Walls of the groove, the ornamenting ring will be contracted upon the body and have its free ends pressed into 35 abutment as well as confined against outward movement, thereby closing the gap and holding the parts in rigid assembly without the use of solder.

In the accompanying drawing 40 Figure 1 is suggestive of a plate of noble metal from which to produce the body of the ring.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of an annular blank that may be punched from such a plate or otherwise produced.

45 Figure 3 suggests one step in finishing the blank shown in Figure 2, such, for instance, as holding it in a chuck and rounding its edges as they are successively presented to a suitable die.

Figure 4 suggests another step in finishing the blank, which consists in turning in the periphery thereof an external groove with upstanding side walls. A

Figure 5 suggests the known step of knurling 55 or otherwise ornamenting the outer extremities of the upstanding walls of the groove shown in Figure 4. V I

Figure 6 suggests the step of chasing a strip of metal of another variety having a transverse dimension which adapts it to fit the groove shown 5 in Figure 4.

Figure 7 shows, in elevation, the ornamenting ring produced from the strip of Figure 6 and left with an opening adapting it to be applied to the groove of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a diametric section of, the assembled body and ornamenting ring, together with two dies adapted to collapse the side Walls of the groove upon the sides of the ornamenting ring; and 5 Figures 9 and 10 are, respectively, a diametric section and'a section in a median plane perpendicular to the axis of the finished ring.

In carrying out the invention, a hollow cylindrical blank I produced from any suitable 20 source, such, for instance, as a plate of noble metal A, is gripped in a hollow chuck 2 (Figure 3) and has its surfaces rounded through means of a die 3 as the latter is guided by the centering stud E of the chuck 2; this step being applied successively to opposite sides of the blank, after which the blank I is placed upon a mandrel 5 and subjected to the action of a shaping tool-6 that'provides the outer periphery of the blank with a groove 1 having upstanding sides 8, upon completion of which this body I with or without the rim knurling step suggested in Figure 5 will be ready for assembly.

9 (Figure 6) represents a strip of noble metal, of the same or a different variety from that used in making the body i. This strip has a transverse section which approximately fits the groove 1 of body I, particularly after it has been subjected to an ornamenting step, such as passing it between chasing wheel 10 and supporting wheel H. The length of strip 9 is such that it may be formed into the ring shown in Figure 7, with its two ends meeting but not united at the point l2, thus leaving the ornamenting ring free to be opened and fitted around the body I, as shown in Figure 8. When thus assembled, the side walls 8 of the groove 1 are pressed by dies l3, l4 toward each other and into firm embrace with the sides of the ornamenting ring 9,

caused to seat firmly upon the bottom of the groove '1. The circumferential dimension of ring 9 is such that the resultant contraction firmly closes the gap !2 and renders unnecessary the use of solder in closing the ring 9, since the latter is in firm embrace with the sides 8 as shown in Figure 9, and with the bottom of the groove 1 as shown in Figure 10.

The method herein described of producing an article of jewerly in the form of a ring by introducing an ornamental band in a groove in a solid body and securing it in place without soldering, involves a number of advantages. Aside from avoiding the discoloring and softening effect of soldering together the ends of the body portion, it permits the ornamenting band to be made by rolling, pressing or stamping while in the straight piece, thereby admitting of much finer and more satisfactory designs of ornamentation than if made by hand or by rolling the outer surface of a solid ring; also permitting the ornamenting band to be greatly hardened by the rolling, pressing or stamping and to be retained in this hardened condition with its greater resistance to wear, since it is secured in position upon the ring body without the annealing and discoloration incident to soldering. Added to these important advantages, which are realized even when the ornamental band is made of metal of the same quality and even the same color as the metal of the ring body, is the further advantage that it affords opportunity of using for the ring body and the ornamenting band, metals of different quality or of different color.

I claim:

1. A jewelry ring, comprising an integral annular metal body member having an external circumferential groove with upstanding side walls, and a separately formed ornamenting ring having an internal dimension that is smaller than the external dimension of the said side walls and split to permit it to surround the said body within said groove; the side walls of the said body being pressed toward each other upon said ornamenting ring and holding the latter to the bottom of said groove.

2. A ring as described in claim 1, in which the circumferential dimension of the ornamenting ring is such that when the latter is held to the bottom of the groove its ends abut each other.

3. A ring as described in claim 1, in which the sides of the ornamenting ring converge out- Wardly whereby the approach of the walls of the groove develop an inward moment in the said ornamenting ring and, by frictional contact between the walls of the body and those of the ornamenting ring, hold the ornamenting ring stationary in the groove of the body.

4. A solderless, two-part jewelry ring, comprising an unbroken annular body made of metal of one variety and having an external circumferential groove with undercut side walls, and a split ornamenting ring of metal of another variety having a chased perimeter and outwardly converging sides; said ornamenting ring being adapted to said groove with its inner surface seated against the bottom of the groove; the undercut side walls of the groove embracing the converging sides of the ornamenting ring and thereby contracting the latter in the groove; and the ends of the ornamenting ring being pressed together by such contraction.

5. The method of producing ornamental rings, which consists in forming a seamless annular body member with an external groove, providing an ornamenting ring member split to adapt it to embrace said body member and fitting said groove when conformed thereto, pressing the side walls of the groove toward each other and in embrace with the ornamenting ring, and by said embrace forcing together the ends of the ornamenting ring, and rigidly holding the latter to the body portion without the use of solder.

6. The method of producing ornamental rings which comprises forming a seamless annular body member with an external groove having upstanding side members, providing a pliable strip having a transverse section adaptable to said groove, subjecting said strip to cold working, and curving it into an open ring, introducing the strip into the groove of the body member, and pressing the side members of the groove upon the strip and thereby seating it and pressing together its ends within the groove.

ERNEST BAGER. 

